On 18 February Billie Major, Corporate Vice President and Head of Delivery for Capgemini Aspire, delivered a guest lecture as part of Birmingham Business School's Distinguished Leaders Series. Billie drew on her extensive experience to give an overview of what it takes to be an effective leader.

As part of the 2015 International Research Society for Public Management conference, Birmingham's School of Social Policy hosted a debate on the future of public services with Sir Julian Le Grand, former health advisor to Tony Blair

By Liana Fix - Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations and Visiting PhD Researcher at the University of Birmingham. Forgetting about Crimea and the fate of the Crimean Tatars means implicitly acknowledging Russia's claim to the region. Instead, the international community must demonstrate to Russia that its arbitrary interpretation of international law regarding Crimea has long-term consequences. We are not yet in a post-Crimea phase.

MA students Alice Vogliotti, Satish Gurung and Pui Thanaporn Wiboonpote travelled to Boston and New York for the Model UN conference and to visit UN Headquarters. When they returned to Birmingham they Skyped with an alumnus about the realities of working in the UN. This is a report of their experiences.